JUDGING COMPETENCE: OBSERVING STUDENT TEACHERS IN DIVERSE FIELDS

This study analyzes written records created by clinical supervisors, both college and school-based, of student teaching observations carried out during the Spring 2009 semester. Observations, conducted in public schools in a Northeastern state, reflect the dual enrollment status of each student teacher; that is, each candidate was observed, multiple times, in both a general elementary or middle level classroom and a special education setting. The purposes of the analysis are to 1) examine the language used by the observer that both describes and evaluates the student teacher’s performance, particularly as it differentiates levels of expertise; 2) explore the level of agreement offered within and across (multiple) reports about the same teacher candidate; and 3) outline the development of meaningful processes for evaluating teacher candidates during the student teaching experience.